HEALTH Alliance: Africa Hub

PRIORITY CAPACITY STRENGTHENING ACTIVITIES:

MOI UNIVERSITY: 1. Strengthen HSR HSR CAPACITY SELF-ASSESSMENT infrastructure by establishing learning In 2011, as part of the HEALTH in public health with the requi- sites with open Alliance Africa Hub project, site competencies to address seven East and Central African the challenges of communities access to resources, schools of public health (SPHs) and countries in the present and databases, and online undertook an assessment of their future. It has three departments: institutional capacities for health Environmental Health, Epidemi- HSR curricula. systems research (HSR). The as- ology and Nutrition and Health sessment surveyed both internal Policy and Management, which 2. Strengthen and external stakeholders and houses HSR-relevant courses skills of staff and considered a wide range of HSR and projects. skills and competencies – from students in grant and individual research capacity to The school collaborates with publication writing, faculty incentives for engaging in partners at community, national HSR and inter-intuitional linkages and international levels in re- resource mobilization, for knowledge sharing. search and training. There has knowledge been little focus on HSR, and translation, database These assessments served as engagement with policy-makers the basis for both institutional has been ad hoc, resulting in few management, capacity building strategies and a publications. Through the cur- e-learning, leadership collective plan for strengthening rent HSR projects, the school HSR across the region. is developing infrastructure for for HSR. centres of research excellence in 3. Establish a School of HSR, building capacity of faculty Public Health and students and strengthening mentorship program partnerships/networks to sustain- Moi University, established as the ably conduct HSR research and through small second public university in training at all levels. by an act of parliament, has 16 grants for junior schools. research fellows and Findings from the capacity The mission of the School of self-assessment postgraduates in HSR. Public Health, established in These findings are based 1998, is to produce graduates on interviews with 22 self © June 2012, Africa Hub KEY FINDINGS FROM THE CAPACITY SELF-ASSESSMENT:

1. MUSPH has good policies and strong staff interest in HSR, but these policies are poorly implemented and communicated.

2. A weak coordina- assessments with staff and with policy influence is ad-hoc tion framework for 15 key external informants. and project based rather than • Most faculty are interested purposed by the institution. accessing teaching in conducting HSR research, but the concept is not well resources, conducting About the Africa Hub operationalized. Additionally, HSR and dissemina- the organizational capacity for The HEALTH Alliance (www. tion of products has delivery of HSR is weak, as halliance.org) is a network of are inter-institutional links. seven East and Central African limited capacity to schools of public health. The • Fewer faculty than expected HEALTH Alliance originally conduct HSR. were actually conducting HSR, formed to develop capacity which partly explains the few across the schools by building HSR publications and outputs 3. There are no linkages and promoting the from the SPH. Most of the exchange of ideas and resources, sustainable capacity existing large grants either but has since undertaken a wide have no component or an building initiatives to range of projects. insignificant budget allocated address the identified for HSR. Similarly, the limited The ‘Africa Hub’ project, which is skills gaps. access to training resources mainly supported by the DFID- and scattered course content funded Future Health Systems across various units in the (www.futurehealthsystems. Contact information for under- and post-graduate org), aims to strengthen health Moi University: programmes hampers the systems research capacity Africa Hub Focal Person: teaching of HSR. among the SPHs. Participating Dr. Mabel N. Nangami • Moi has good policies and SPHs include: guidelines for conducting Email: research, establishing • Makerere University School [email protected] strategic partnerships and dual of Public Health (Secretariat), career promotion, but these Telephone: are not widely disseminated • Jimma University () +254-53-2031637 and well implemented and lack knowledge translation • University of Kinshasa (DRC), Address: component. • Moi University (Kenya), Moi University, School of Public • There is no research agenda • Muhimbili University Health, Nandi Road, P.O Box focusing on HSR except (), 4606, Eldoret -30100, Kenya through external calls for • (Kenya) proposals and dissemination • National University of Website: and/or communication to http://www.mu.ac.ke (Rwanda)